Mazda RX-7 - Re: Mama Mia

2NR: Was campaigning in D1 a career move?SM: No. I have a 9-to-5 job as a businessman in Kagoshima. Drifting is my passion.

RE: This kid is great. He worked his tail off and tried so hard over the past few years in the drifting scene. His drive and motivation pushed him to join the RE Amemiya team and earned him a ticket to drive our new FD. He has potential and we expect good things from him.

2NR: What's your drifting style?SM: I have smooth driving control. My main goal is to stay competitive when performing tandem and to maintain a consistent line.

Then we went to look at the car. Walking through the paddock area, my eyes glimpsed the aqua and pink RE Amemiya GReddy D1-7.

Suenaga explained the exterior modifications, beginning with the body kit. "This kit is a RE Amemiya AD GT complete conversion kit. Running larger blister fenders in the front and a set of overfenders in the rear, the FD sticks to the track with a larger set of Enkei RP01 rims and Yokohama Advan Neova AD07 tires. This is one of the newer kits for the FD. The hood is a FRP fully vented unit. Carbon diffusers are set up on both sides of the front bumper. The rear has an older rear underdiffuser. The main purpose is to reduce underbody drag while maintaining minimum wind resistance. The GT wing is an all-carbon RE Amemiya unit. Developed by Nagisa Auto, the L.E.D. tail lamps are a one-off light kit for the Amemiya FD."

At the front of the vehicle, Suenaga unclipped the hood pins to reveal the FD's meat and guts. "The custom GReddy intercooler layout was pushed back to the very limits, toward the engine to maintain proper balance and retain usage should an accident occur. A GReddy oil cooler handles the constant gear shifting. The engine is normal; the brunt of the power comes from the TD-07 Trust/GReddy turbo.

"The rotary engine lacks torque. To maximize torque, the engine was torn apart and the housings received a custom port job. The team decided the TD07-25 turbine was laggy, so we downsized it to a TD06-25G turbine to increase engine response.

"The sweet spot is from 4000 to 8000 rpm. The engine can rev higher but the turbo was designed as a more responsive lower-rpm design. Using an A'PEXi Power FC as a base computer, an additional HKS F-Con V Pro supports the control parameters. We use the best features from both units. Most recently we switched from the factory transmission to an OS Giken cross-sequential setup, which creates a more narrow shift point and maximizes the powerband through the drifts. With the new setup I can concentrate on entering and exiting the apex with more linear control."

One of the tires was removed to admire the intricate suspension work. The suspension setting was firmed up over factory while the engine's tuning resembles that of a Time Attack vehicle. The differences include a set of fully adjustable Quantum Amemiya D1-spec coil-overs on all four corners working in collaboration with a set of swift springs. Pillow-ball mounts fully adjust the camber. The RE Amemiya team fully redesigned the tie rod offset and knuckles to produce more angle through the turns. The car stops via 16-inch Project ff,,f,, rotors and calipers, and a brake balancer was installed to properly set the bias.

The interior was reduced to skin and bones. Lightweight FRP doors, carbon-fiber door panels and acrylic windows dramatically reduce the overall curb weight to a scant 2,403 pounds. Supplying the necessary data when competing are GReddy 60mm gauges placed on the passenger-side glove box. In addition, the cage was specifically designed to fit Suenaga's body.

An aluminum box is placed in the rear trunk space as the fuel collector tank or surge tank. It has been installed in an aluminum box as per D1 regulations in case the car should ever catch on fire or flip over.

Future plans for RE Amemiya call for a second vehicle to campaign in D1. The RE Amemiya team has already begun its R&D using the high compression 10.0:1 ratio Renesis RX-8 engine in hopes of campaigning for the 2005 season.